We are thrilled to share these initial pages from Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: 25 years and 9,000 lives, a look back at 25 years of The Boulevard of Chicago. As one of our supporters, we invite you to click on the image below to be taken through a sampling of interviews, essays, and photos which commemorate our agency’s development. (You will have to click on each page to move forward.) Please feel free to share this link with friends, and stay tuned for details about the release of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow some time soon! (For details about how you can be sure to receive your own copy, please contact James Michael at j.michael@blvd.org.)

On Friday, May 31st, the Harold Washington Library’s Winter Garden was the stage for an unforgettable evening for founders, leaders, friends and supporters of The Boulevard of Chicago. Our 2019 Annual Gala, which was also the 25th Anniversary for our organization, celebrated our past while raising expectations for exciting developments and growth in the future. The event raised nearly $300,000.00, far surpassing the totals for any previous event, thanks in large part to Presenting Sponsors Sammons Financial Group, Ms. Merry Ann Pearson, and The Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation.

Party goers were greeted by a huge and welcome surprise, however, with the announcement that the Gala Honoree and dedicated Boulevard supporters Richard and Crystal Logan of the Reva & David Logan Foundation would match the night’s Paddle Raise. This incredible gesture added nearly $69,000.00 to the evening’s total, setting a historic benchmark for the Gala and further cementing the Logan family’s well earned reputation as leaders in the Chicago philanthropic community.

The evening ran nearly flawlessly, as 300 guests enjoyed reconnecting with old friends while making new acquaintances. Leaders from the early years of the Boulevard were saluted, including Paul Allen, Art Bendixon, Thomas Hurwich, Nancy Hanson and Jacob Starks, and current CEO Jennifer Nelson-Seals was acknowledged for her 25 years of service to the agency.

To view photos from the night’s festivities, simply click within the image below to see the next.

(All photos credited to Jessica Ridenour.)

Every year, The Boulevard produces a video to remind Gala attendees of the reason we are coming together: to support the brave and difficult work being done by our residents as they heal from injuries and illnesses that not only affect them physically, but mentally, emotionally, and psychologically. This year’s video received many compliments, so we share it here. Please feel free to share this inspiring message on Social Media!

SURPRISE! LOGAN FOUNDATION MAKES AMAZING MATCHING GIFT OF 69K AT GALA

Crystal Logan (pictured here) and the other leaders of the Reva & David Logan Foundation made a great evening even more unforgettable. Having arrived to share in the evening’s celebration and receive the 2019 Community Spirit Award, the Logan family informed The Boulevard that they would match whatever was raised during the Paddle Raise at the event. Inspired by this incredible generosity, the raucous crowd broke past Paddle Raise records by pledging a staggering $68,976.00. Board Chair Jeremy Stump (right) warmly thanked Crystal from the stage, expressing the deep gratitude and appreciation that all in the room were surely feeling.